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Exploring Matthew’s Gospel

Exploring Matthew’s Gospel. Session 3: The Reign of God & The Church. Five (Six?) Discourses In Matthew. Matthew includes five (or is it six?) major speeches or discourses The Sermon on the Mount (ch. 5-7) The Missionary Discourse (ch. 10) The Parables of the Kingdom (ch. 13)

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Exploring Matthew’s Gospel

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  1. Exploring Matthew’s Gospel Session 3: The Reign of God & The Church

  2. Five (Six?) Discourses In Matthew • Matthew includes five (or is it six?) major speeches or discourses • The Sermon on the Mount (ch. 5-7) • The Missionary Discourse (ch. 10) • The Parables of the Kingdom (ch. 13) • The Community Discourse (ch. 18) • Against the Religious Leaders (ch. 23) • The Eschatological discourse (ch. 24-25)

  3. About The Discourses • Each of the discourses revolves around a particular theme • It is uncertain whether Jesus himself present his teaching in so systematic a way • Whatever the origin of the material, Matthew has arranged it thematically

  4. The Kingdom of Heaven • As in Mark, the reign or kingdom of God is Jesus’ favorite topic of discussion • Unlike Mark, it is also the content of John’s proclamation in Matthew • Of Jesus’ fifty references to the kingdom, twelve occur in chapter 13 • Ch. 13 is a series of six parables related to the kingdom

  5. The Sower (13:3-9, 18-23) • Profligate, prodigal proclamation of the word of the kingdom • Those who hear but do not understand have it snatched away by Satan • Some receive with joy, but fall away when hardship comes because of the word • Some are too concerned with the desires of the world for the word to bear fruit • Some hear the word, understand it and bear the fruit of the kingdom

  6. Fruits of the Kingdom • John the Baptist warns the Pharisees and Sadducees about their fruit (3:7ff.) • False prophets distinguished by their fruits (7:15-20) • Jesus castigates Pharisees for their fruit (12:33ff.) • The kingdom to be taken away from the religious leaders, given to those who produce fruits of the kingdom (21:43) • Fruits related to core values (love, faith, mercy, justice)

  7. Weeds & Wheat (13:24-30, 36-43) • Jesus will scatter the children of the kingdom throughout the world • Satan will scatter the children of evil right alongside them • Jesus will tolerate the presence of the evil among the good for a period of time • Ultimately, the evil will be culled and the righteous will shine in the reign of the Father

  8. Seed & Yeast (13:31-33) • The reign of heaven is an organic thing, growing from tiny, seemingly insignificant beginnings • This growth is often imperceptible, but is nonetheless all encompassing • In time, the reign of heaven will reshape the entire universe

  9. Treasure & Pearl (13:43-46) • The reign of heaven is of ultimate value and is worth total commitment • Every other allegiance is secondary to the reign of heaven • This includes allegiance to the institution of the church or particular leaders

  10. The Net (13:47-50) • Mission on behalf of the reign of heaven will net a mixed bag of both evil and righteous • Not all who are caught up in the mission of the reign of heaven will enter the reign • The evil will eventually be cast into the furnace of fire

  11. Old & New Treasure (13:52) • Wisdom and learning is equated with understanding both Jesus’ teaching and the Hebrew scriptures • Jesus’ teaching in the lens through which the scriptures are interpreted • The good news of the reign of heaven is in continuity with God’s actions throughout salvation history

  12. For Next Time: • Read the Sermon on the Mount (ch. 5-7) Doing the Greater Righteousness

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